Written by PETA
Following discussions with PETA about the extremely unpleasant habit that Australian Farmers have of mutilating lambs in their care, Hugo Boss has announced that it will phase out the use of Australian wool that comes from lambs who have undergone the mutilation. Here’s what they said:
"HUGO BOSS disassociates itself from mulesing because it contravenes our corporate values … [and] has decided to phase out the use of wool from farms that perform mulesing—including clip mulesing. Should mulesing not have ended completely by 2010, HUGO BOSS will refuse to purchase wool material from farms that perform mulesing."
Hugo Boss isn’t the only company to make such a compassionate decision this month—IC Companys (the massive Danish clothing retailer), has also pledged to get all their wool from outside Australia until the Aussie sheep farmers can figure out a way to raise animals that doesn’t involve slicing them up with gardening shears. Both companies have also rejected the ridiculous “clip mulesing” alternative, which involves using clips to clamp down on the sheep’s skin so tightly that it dies. So the farmers are going to have to figure something out that’s actually humane. We’ve got tons of suggestions.
Deflocked, baby. Deflocked.
To check out the archives of past strips, click here.
I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving holiday. Mine would have been pretty close to perfect if it hadn’t all been tainted by yesterday’s sad events in Tampa Bay. But the show must go on, and though it may not seem like it right now, there are more important things than the apparent inability of the Washington Redskins to throw accurate passes inside the 20-yard-line. For instance: While half the country was busy stuffing their shopping bags with every piece of fabric they could find this Friday, a number of animal lovers around the U.S. spent their holiday reminding shoppers that—as much as their rabid consumerism helps America—there are plenty of ways of doing that without hurting animals, and that it’s the easiest thing in the world to buy comfortable, stylish clothes without fur, leather, or wool. Here are a couple of the pics that ended up in my Inbox this morning—the first is from a Fur-Free Friday demonstration outside the mall here in Norfolk, and the second from a great demonstration in Miami Beach.
“Lucy” the sheep is at it again. Today, she joined Aussie Prime Minister John Howard on his morning walk in Sydney, and she’ll be making regular appearances again soon. I mean really, how can Australian politicians ignore the issues of mulesing and live export when there’s an activist in a giant sheep costume everywhere they go? Umm, OK, don’t answer that.
And here’s a story about the newly formed PETA Australia. Yes, I said PETA Australia! More news on that front soon . . .
Any Friday Night Lights fans in the house? Well, even if you’re not, you’ll love this PSA peta2 just released with anti-fur crusader Aimee Teegarden and her dog Gizmo. Way to go Aimee!
You can watch a video of Aimee at the photo shoot and enter to win a T-shirt signed by her here.
Envelope, please.
And the winner is . . . Steve Baldwin. For his adorable ad promoting humane “pest” control, Steve will receive a $500 Apple gift card. And be sure to check out Steve’s blog about the wild parrots of Brooklyn here.
Honorable mention goes to Jason Frizzell for his “America’s Next PETA Model” ad. When we ran all of the finalists’ ads on a variety of blogs across the Internet, people just couldn’t resist clicking on Jason’s ad, so we decided that we should also recognize him with a $200 Apple gift card.
And no, I am not still bitter that my ad was disqualified from the competition . . .
Congratulations Steve and Jason!
I can't think why. We had this all set up with the billboard company and everything, and then they changed their minds at the last second. Is it possible that there are some sheep farmers who don't want people asking them difficult questions? For more info on mulesing, and our campaign to stop it, please click here.
And for the inevitable knee-jerk response from sheep farmers who are going to say "But we have to slice these sheep up -- it's the only way to prevent flystrike!": 1.) This crisis is your fault in the first place for breeding sheep who can’t survive in the climate. 2.) Here is a long, painstakingly researched list of humane, effective alternatives to mulesing. And 3.) If you refuse to accept that there’s a way to do your job without hideously torturing animals, well, then maybe it’s time to get a new job.
Well, not really a battle, but I’m a sucker for a title with a bit of internal rhyme. More like a skirmish. A minor tiff. The story is that the Town Council in Brattleboro, Vermont, were not particularly pleased about PETA’s recent full-monty nude fur protest in their town, which, due to an odd loophole on the law books, has some very lax legislation about public nudity. The protest has apparently brought renewed calls for a permanent ban on public nakedness in Brattleboro. Which really does seem like a shame.
Well, we’ve offered them a solution that’s a lot less of a joykill: How about banning fur (I’m talking about, like, fur coats here) in Brattleboro instead? That way, they can do a nice, positive thing for the community and avoid naked PETA protesters at the same time. Or as PETA VP Bruce Friedrich puts it,
"What could be more offensive than draping your body in the skins of tormented animals and trying to pass it off as a 'fashion statement'? Nudity doesn't hurt anyone, but wearing fur does—and it shouldn't be tolerated in modern society."
To further sweeten the proposal, we’ll send a trio of emissaries—fully clothed in furry animal costumes—to host a champagne celebration for the town, if the board agrees to the proposal. How can you possibly turn down a deal like that, Brattleboro? You can read our letter to the Town Council here.
I’ll let you know if we hear back from the organizers, but, uhm, don’t hold your breath. In the meantime, here is a news story about it, and here is Lisa’s letter.
*In addition to being utterly disgusting (eggs are, like, chicken periods, after all), eggs are a product of quite possibly the most abusive industry on the planet. Egg laying hens endure a nightmare that lasts about two years, during which time a large portion of each hen’s beak is cut off with a burning-hot blade, and they are shoved into tiny wire “battery” cages with five to 11 other hens. Even in the best scenario, each hen will spend the rest of her life crowded in a space about the size of a file drawer with four other hens, unable to lift even a single wing. Additionally, since male chicks are worthless to the egg industry, every year millions of them are tossed into trash bags to suffocate or are thrown into high-speed grinders called macerators while they are still alive. Sorry to be such a buzz kill here, but hey, that’s my job.
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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